It has been over a year since the Agent Rolf and his friends destroyed the
Mother Brain. The planet Mota was thrown into a temporary Dark Age with
little technology, and the Government Agents have been busy not only
rebuilding the planet, but re-establishing government as well.

A small band of Rebels has arisen, and their goal is simple: they wish to
overthrow the government and in its place declare monarchy, with Rolf as King
of Algo. Why they would want this, with it commonly known that Rolf is in an
unstable mental state after the battle on Noah and the death of Nei, is
unknown.

The Rebels are left to be dealt with by the Guardians, a band of protectors
now led by Anna. Right now the government on Mota is ignoring the Guardians,
allowing them to do the Agents' job of taking care of the Rebels. But what
happens when the Agents have restored peace and order to the government?

And what of Dezo? One ambitious young Dezorian has arisen through the ranks
of red tape and brass and now holds the chair of Sinc'tekkan, second in
command of the entire planet. He is a man with sinister plans and a hidden
agenda... and a terrible secret.

As we begin, the city of Paseo is being turned into a warzone, rocked by
skirmishes between Rebel and Guardian forces. Commander has called in his
best Agents for a meeting.

Chapter One

Commander looked around the table at the men and women assembled. It was an
assembly of Mota's leaders, the highest-ranking Agents. He glanced to his
right, and saw an empty chair. Figures, he thought with a sigh. To
the right of the empty chair sat Agent Price, and to the right of Price was a
Quiet Man who did not participate in the casual conversation that floated
around them before the meeting began. On Commander's left was Agent Chris,
followed by Agent Peter, and lastly Agent Gwen.

Commander ran a hand through his silver hair and stole a glance outside the
picture windows that lined the outside wall of the conference room. From this
high up in the Central Tower, Paseo looked beautiful. But that was probably
because one could not see madness until one was down on the street.

From here he could see the Central Gardens, a memorial park built only a few
months ago and only dedicated recently, on the one year anniversary of the
destruction of planet Palm. How many had died? Millions? Billions? The
park was a small monument to them, all innocents for the most part, and all
killed by the Mother Brain computer.

He glanced at the empty chair again.

Odin Lake could also be seen from here. Months ago boats and aqua-skimmers
could be seen slashing across the waters but no one left town any more to go
to the docks. It just wasn't safe. Sometimes even the cities weren't safe
anymore, not even Paseo. These days, the people thought, you leave your house
to go to the store and risk getting caught in the middle of a Guardian-Rebel
skirmish.

That's why the meeting had been called today. But the Agents sat and waited
for their last comrade to show up. Commander didn't think he would,
though.

So he reflected on the chaos and panic that erupted after Mother Brain's
destruction. Oh, yes, at first there was celebration, for the government
revealed to the people Mother Brain's true intentions and the people
celebrated at her death, but not for long. Soon, without Mother Brain, every
computer system in Algo had crashed. A whole new communications system had to
be built. Essentially, Algo was thrown back, technologically, centuries. It
was a shear miracle that they had re-built this much in just a year.

With thanks to the Guardians, Commander noted to himself. They kept
the people under control and out of revolution during the Great Panic time,
reassuring them the government could handle things, all the while probably not
completely believing it themselves. And now that they were out of the Panic,
Commander didn't know what he should do with the Guardians. They were
vigilantes, basically, but they had good intentions and with the Rebels around
and the Agents busy, they were needed. They were staying underground
now, and all the reports that came across Commander's desk said that all they
were trying to do was eliminate the Rebel group that was also living
underground. The Rebels want to overthrow this government, it seems, and the
Guardians see that as a threat to the people.

With another glance to the empty chair, and to the Quiet Man who sat with head
bowed, it was obvious to Commander that he wasn't showing up, so he
called the meeting to order.

"All right," he announced to the people around him, "let's get this thing in
order." And with a final glance to the empty seat next to him, the meeting
started.

"First of all," Commander said, after the roll had been called, and Commander
had noted on his sheet the man who's empty seat he glanced at, "what to do
with the Rebels?"

"That's simple," Chris said, looking at the others. The others all looked
back to Chris, except the Quiet Man, who seemed to be involved in a careful
examination of the table. "We send Agents undercover and underground, find
their base, and blow 'em away."

Price grunted. Peter spoke up. "Good idea. But 'blow 'em away'? Sounds
real professional," he chuckled. Peter went off in a giggle of laughter.
Chris smiled, a smile that said You just wait, buddy. You just
wait.

Gwen shook her head. She briefly thought that with she being the only female
in the room it may also be she was the only sentient being, har de har har.
"What about the Guardians? They're already going after the Rebels as it is
now. Why not let them continue while we here in the government work on
putting Mota back together?"

Quiet Man nodded, silently. That was the way to go, and he knew it. But he
could never convince them, even he and Gwen put together. It just wasn't a
popular idea anywhere. Heck, not even all of the townspeople liked the
Guardians, and, ironically, the townspeople were the reason the Guardians were
formed: to protect the townspeople, first from over-zealous Biomonster
Hunters; then, during the Panic, from themselves; and now, from the Rebels.
But the Guardians still hung in there, and that showed courage. They were
okay in the Quiet Man's eye, but not for that reason alone.

"The Guardians," Price began, "are vigilantes. A whole underground
unit of them. Thank God that the people still have faith in the government,
and they haven't started siding with the Guardians, or worse yet, the
Rebels."

"Some have, to a degree," Commander said. He wasn't giving out any news, but
they all looked at him the same, even the quiet man. "I mean it is the
Rebels who want a monarchy in place of the current government, if memory
serves me. There are some people who have started to think that might be the
right thing... if the right man, or woman," he added with a nod to
Gwen, "was in the big chair."

And everyone in the room knew who it was they wanted. This time everyone
glanced at the empty chair, and thought about the man who was supposed to sit
in it.

The Agent named Rolf.

"With full apologies to Mister Rolf," Price began quietly, "that would be...
bad. To say the least."

Everyone nodded to that. Even Commander, even the Quiet Man. Then Peter
broke out laughing.

"No," he laughed sarcastically. "It'd only send Mota, and all of Algo
for that matter, straight into a Dark Age. You'd probably think Dark Force
was awake and at it again the way things would sink! Rolf's insane. Period.
He's a loony, at least, you know, after... he came back from his little trip
into outer space."

Commander made a few notes to demerit Peter for conduct, and was about to put
him into line himself when the Quiet Man spoke.

"Pardon me, Commander." The Quiet Man put his eyes on Peter. "And excuse me,
Peter," the Agent Rudolf Steiner, called Rudo by his friends, said, "but you
have absolutely no idea of what went on up there on that spacecraft."

Peter returned Rudo's gaze. Then he glanced at Commander. "Permission to
speak freely, sir?" Commander nodded, and Peter returned to Rudo. "It's all
classified, that's why, Steiner. You guys returned from outer space and Rolf
went into Commander's office, and when he came out that file was sealed and
you, pal, were an Agent."

Rudo smiled, but it didn't reach his narrow eyes, not even by a light year.
"You don't like me. You don't like Rolf." Rudo gave him a hard stare, then
added, "And yeah, you don't like Commander either, I can see that in your
eyes." Peter glanced at Commander quickly, and when he looked back to Rudo,
the Hunter turned Agent had a different kind of smile that said that was
exactly what he had wanted Peter to do, and that Peter had just confirmed what
Rudo had said for him. "Let me ask you a question, Peter. Do you have a
sister?"

"Yes."

"Do you love her?" Rudo prodded.

"Of course!"

"How much?"

"A lot! She's my sister, Steiner!"

Rudo lost any trace of a smile that he had on his face, and all warmth drained
from his eyes. "You didn't see her die in battle, did you?" Of course he
spoke of Nei, the half-human, half-Biomonster being that he met on his journey
with Rolf one year ago. "And you didn't just see her die, you didn't see her
die for a world that rejected her. I'm going to say something to you, I'm
only going to say it once, and it will never leave this room. Nei was the
bravest person I ever knew. She was rejected by her world, and still she
fought for it... died for it."

He paused for a second, then began again, in a quieter tone. "I loved my
wife. And Liz loved me. Rolf loved Nei. And Nei loved him. Liz may have
been my wife, but our love did not reach as much -- was not as deep -- as the
brother-and-sister-like love Nei and Rolf shared. They didn't know each other
for very long, no. But it was there." He paused, swallowed hard. "And then
he saw her die in front of his face. And then he destroyed the computer that
made her and..."

He glanced to Commander, and then shook his head. What was he going to say?
Ohh, yeah, Peter, I forgot, then we encountered an alien race, the last
survivors of an entire civilization, in fact, and yes, they attacked us first,
but we killed all of them, ALL of them. Algo's first contact with alien life,
and they were slaughtered.

Peter grunted, rolled his eyes. "I still say he's crazy."

Rudo stood, his chair flying backwards, and in the same movement drew his
Sonic Gun from its holster, brought it up, and placed the barrel on Peter's
forehead.

"Steiner!" Commander yelled, jumping from his own chair, but Rudo paid no
attention.

"Just for a minute here, let's imagine that even if I pulled the trigger right
now and blew your damn head off, you'd still live. What you would be doing is
living the rest of your life without something you consider quite vital to
your very existence."
He sat down, but did not holster the gun. Instead he sat it on the table in
front of him, and crossed his arms in front of him, leaning back in the chair.
Peter took a good hard look at the man from eyes as wide as the space between
Mota and Dezo. His deep blue eyes and the short blond hair. He had never
realized it, but was Steiner ever massive! No wonder this guy used to be a
Hunter...

"That's Rolf's case, Peter, my friend," Rudo said. Then, finally, he took the
gun from the table and holstered it. Gwen, Chris, and Price looked towards
Commander with mouths dropped open and practically resting on the table, but
Commander was doing nothing. His mouth was open himself, shocked at Rudo's
bluntness. For perhaps the first time, Commander truly realized that Rolf
was, in a couple words, screwed up. I ain't ever gonna blame him for being
late to or absent from meetings ever again, Commander decided.

Then Peter spoke aloud. "You've got some guts, Steiner." His voice was just
above a whisper.

Rudo smiled -- turning the sides of his mouth upward would be a better term --
and nodded. "Call me Rudo," he said.

After a moment, Commander spoke. "I think that will be all," he said. With a
final glance towards Rolf's empty chair, he added, "Dismissed."

Rudo stood first and was out the door quickest. Peter watched him go. Then
he added, mostly to himself, as no one even right next to him would of been
able to hear it, "But he's still crazy, Steiner. And so are you."